Earth 4
Earth 4 is an earth where Atlantis never fell, but instead everywhere else sank into the sea. As a result of this, fish people coexist alongside regular humans, with large amounts of inter-species hatred existing between humans and merpeople. Pescopolis, an underwater city, is home to Pescopoleans, who exhibit humanoid biological structures but distinct marine abilities. They are able to procreate with Homo sapiens sapiens. The distinct geography coincides with Stephen Woden Prime's theories about the influence of The Unnamed Ones. The Pesco-Atlantean Conflict Origins Sean Raymond and his best friend Edward Tell worked for a corporation (Sean takes over the company later) that builds islands outside of the only natural land that still is above water (the city), using the technology of Earth 4's incarnation of Stephen Woden. One day, out working on the island, Raymond and Tell come across a beautiful Pescopolean- Neira (nay-EER-uh). Ed and Neira fall in love. An impoverished but willful half-breed who leads the slums in Order of Salvation rituals marries the two, and Neira becomes pregnant. With twins. When the children, James and Red, are born in year 4378, the prejudiced but “reasonable” head of the company finds out and gives Ed a choice. Leave his children and never see them again, or leave the company. He leaves the company. Neira takes one child (James) back with her to Pescopolis and Ed takes Red. Sean stays with the company and works his way up, helping Ed along the way with Red. The boss does keep it a secret, but when he dies when Red turns 18, the secret comes out and Red and Ed are shunned. Sean becomes in charge and brings the company to prosperity and becomes involved in politics. A devout member of the Order of Salvation, Sean’s policies reflect moral capitalism and civil rights advocacy for half-breeds and Pescopoleans.'' Emergence of James Richards James Richards grows up with Pescopoleans in the ocean. He advances their unique culture that is still sort of in the middle ages, but limited by the fact that they are under water. Meanwhile, Red Tell lives a normal childhood in Atlantis. When he turns 18, his identity is revealed and he and his father are shunned. Red is forced to live in the slums with other depressed half breeds. James eventually comes up on shore (age 19-20) to Atlantis and attempts diplomacy with Atlantean leaders. Business tycoon and mayoral candidate Sean Raymond supports James but loses an arm in an assassination attempt. His right hand man and technical genius, Stephen Woden, stands by Raymond and becomes a prominent advocate in place of Raymond. Red Tell hates Atlanteans and tries to get the slums and Pescopoleans to destroy Atlantis. James is caught in between and garners small support from both sides. Red kills Woden and then realizes he was bad blah blah blah. He joins forces with James and they try to convince, along with Raymond, Atlantis and Pescopolis to be friendly and advance each other. Contribution to the Multiverse Raffi is a half-breed who has successfully entered middle class society in Atlantis, married, and had a daughter. They live happily, and, luckily for Raffi, his daughter maintains all human traits except for a stronger stature. She is a star athlete but no one suspects her ¼ Pescopolean DNA, herself included. Raffi and his wife are the only ones who know of his Pescopolean ancestry. He wears glasses all the time that hide his distinct red eyes. Extremely intelligent and observant, Raffi lives quietly and thoughtfully and takes note of the adventures of James and Red. Seven years after what becomes known as the Pesco-Atlantean Conflict, Raffi is approached by Stephen Prime and is tasked with recording the events. Early History In 272 AD, a series of giant ice comets struck the earth. They heated the atmosphere and introduced more water into the Earth. This great flood surrounded the entire world. Only the peaks of the highest mountains remained, with one exception: the City of Atlantis (which in this timeline remained as an island settled by Mycenaean Greeks) survived when Augewas, a descendant of Daedalus, constructed giant obsidian walls around Atlantis. Many groups from around the Atlantic Ocean fled to Atlantis. The seven biggest groups were, in descending order: The Romans, The Sassanids, the Celts, the Palymerans, the Gallic Empire, the Ghassanid Arabs, and the Bosphorans. Another significant group was the oppressed Christians who used this as a chance to become mainstream. The Atlanteans refer to the year of the flood as Year 0. Social Layout and Hierarchy The entire City state of Atlantis hold the values of "The Eternal City.", or simply "The City". This term refers to the ideals of a utopic society Atlantis and its citizens strive towards. "The City" is also deployed as a unifying force among all Atlanteans, and sometimes used for propaganda. Oaths of Public servants often include the dedication of one's self to "The City", meaning Atlantis' ideals and betterment rather than solely the city-state itself. The City-state has a somewhat complex system of hierarchy mostly dependant on where they are from. whether they are native Atlanteans, Pescopoleans, or descendants of the refugees from "the great flood". Their Hierarchy is depicted as a three-dimensional Pyramid rising from the ocean, with a great light above it. (picture is coming) The top tier of their hierarchy is the native Atlantean families called the Poroteu. Many of the families have an overwhelmingly snobbish and unforgiving purity complex. They see themselves as the founders and forebearers of "The City". This tier includes less than 1% of the population. While Atlantean's were originally the majority in Atlantis, there current number is very small. because only 100% pure Atlanteans are considered Poroteu. The Proteu are organized into 12 Damos. The Damos were originally oligarchical sub states based on heritage and politics instead of territory. According to law the Damos members had to be pure Atlanteans for legal reasons regarding slavery (yes the Atlantians were d!%&s). As a result the population of the Damos dropped sharply and they evolved over time from combined provinces and political parties, to straight up Noble houses. The second tier includes Roman and Sassanids nobility. While they hold less political power in the city of Atlantis than their pure Atlantian counterparts, their pre-flood reputation and prestige remain. However, it is notable that some of the stricter families from the top tier still refuse to have their blood clouded by foreign blood. Nobles are based on a combination of wealth a partial Atlantian Nobility ancestry. Next are the Romans, Palmyrasns, and Sassanids They gain a high ranking as they contributed most to the technological and architectural knowledge to the island, helping it to grow and prosper. Also considered the merchant and skilled worker class, they are known for their comparison of Atlantis to their pre-flood societies. Next is the Atlantics, who are described as those descended from states that used to border the Atlantic Ocean. These include West Africans, Western Europeans, Nordic countries, and various cultures from the Americas. However, after a few decades, these sub-groups took on a diverse, yet singular Identity as the Atlantics. This class makes up a majority of the refugees. Just under them is the very small level known as The Drifters, or also called The Lost. This group contains the few vessels of people from non-Atlantic areas. Very few survived to reach Atlantis, and often roughed-up boats would appear on the Atlantean shore. While often of about the same economic standing as the Atlantians, they are regarded as less, as they are less numerous and are often pitied. Next, there is the level of the Red-eyes or half-breeds. placed as the class just above the ocean, these are the half-breed children between Atlanteans and Pascopoleans. Discrimination and anti-Pascopolean sentiment often prevent them from obtaining decent jobs, much less high-ranking positions.